University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 12-2007 From Gay Street to Turkey Creek: Knoxville’s Urban and Suburban Growth Machines Katherine Leigh Morris University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Morris, Katherine Leigh, "From Gay Street to Turkey Creek: Knoxville’s Urban and Suburban Growth Machines. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2007. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/173 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Katherine Leigh Morris entitled "From Gay Street to Turkey Creek: Knoxville’s Urban and Suburban Growth Machines." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Sociology. Jon Shefner, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Paul Gellerg, Robert Gorman Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Katherine Leigh Morris entitled “From Gay Street to Turkey Creek: Knoxville’s Urban and Suburban Growth Machines.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted for partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Sociology. Jon Shefner, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Paul Gellerg Robert Gorman Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) FROM GAY STREET TO TURKEY CREEK: KNOXVILLE'S URBAN AND SUBURBAN GROWTH MACHINES A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree University of Tennessee, Knoxville Katherine Leigh Morris December 2007 Acknowledgements I would like to first and foremost thank Dr. Jon Shefner for his support and encouragement. Jon has proved to be an incredible mentor and guide and I am very grateful for all his help. I would also like to thank Dr. Paul Gellert and Dr. Robert Gorman for their assistance and support. I have learned a great deal from both of them. Thank you to my friends and family. I am blessed with the most supportive and loving parents, so thank you Sandy, Bobby, and Steve. My friends, Sarah, Becca, and Misty, Thank you for all you have done for me. Lastly I would like to thank my husband, Forrest Kirkpatrick. For his editing, comments, thoughts, and support, even at four in the morning- I will be forever grateful. ii ABSTRACT Using growth machine theory, this study examines the newly built "lifestyle center" of the suburban Turkey Creek development and the redevelopment of the Gay Street corridor in downtown Knoxville, TN. Growth machine theory is one of sociology's predominant theories used to understand development and growth projects in metropolitan areas, and although not specifically defined in current literature, I suggest there are many differences in suburban and urban growth machines. This study examines the local dependency and organization of pro-growth coalitions; the tactics, ideology, and culture used to promote development projects; and community reactions. Upon completion of this project, I found that urban and suburban growth machines differed in local dependency and level of community opposition, but utilized similar tactics, ideology, and culture. Furthermore, several themes emerged at the conclusion of this project- the attempts to structure social life around retail centers, suburbanization, and the increasing influence of growth language in everyday life- the further impact increasing pro-growth coalition influence. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: THE CONCEPT 1 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 1 RESEARCH STATEMENT AND SUB-QUESTIONS 2 LIFE-STYLE CENTERS AND DOWNTOWNS 3 METHODOLOGY 5 I. LOCAL DEPENDENCE AND ORGANIZATION 5 II. IDEOLOGY, CULTURE, AND TACTICS 6 III. COMMUNITY REACTION 7 CONCLUSIONS 8 CHAPTER II: THE PRECEDENT- A BRIEF HISTORY OF KNOXVILLE 9 THE NEW SOUTH TURNS UGLY 10 WHITE FLIGHT AND DOWNTOWN BLIGHT 12 FROM SCUFFLETOWN TO THE SUNSPHERE: THE 1982 WORLD'S FAIR 15 FROM GAY STREET TO TURKEY CREEK: RECENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS 17 CHAPTER III: THE FOUNDATION- THEORETICAL ORIENTATION 22 THE NEW URBAN SOCIOLOGY 22 I. THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 23 II. PULL FACTORS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY 24 1. The Role of Government in Development 24 2. The Role of Real Estate as a Special Factor in Growth 26 III. THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN SPACE 26 THE GROWTH MACHINE 27 FLEXIBLE ACCUMULATION THROUGH URBANIZATION 29 SUBURBANIZATION 30 I. HISTORY OF SUBURBANIZATION 30 II. THE SUBURBANIZATION OF RETAIL 31 III. THEORIES OF SUBURBANIZATION 34 CONCLUSIONS 35 CHAPTER IV: THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN- STORIES AND ACTORS 37 GAY STREET CORRIDOR 37 I. THE JUSTICE CENTER 38 II. THE CONVENTION CENTER 44 III. EARL WORSHAM JR. 49 IV. DAVID DEWHIRST 57 TURKEY CREEK 59 CONCLUSIONS 63 iv CHAPTER V: THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN- TACTICS AND REACTIONS 65 VALUE-FREE DEVELOPMENT AND CIVIC PRIDE 65 I. THE JUSTICE CENTER 66 II. THE CONVENTION CENTER 67 III. WORSHAM'S PROJECTS 69 IV. TURKEY CREEK 70 LOCAL MEDIA 71 I. HARRY MOSKOS 72 II. FRANK CAGLE 74 III. KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL EDITORIALS 77 IV. METRO PULSE 79 COMMUNITY REACTIONS 82 I. GAY STREET DEVELOPMENT 82 1. Justice Center 82 2. The Convention Center 83 3. Earl Worsham 84 II. TURKEY CREEK 85 DAVID DEWHIRST 86 CONCLUSIONS 88 CHAPTER VI: THE EVALUATION 89 GROWTH MACHINE VS. PRO-GROWTH COALITIONS 90 GOVERNMENT 91 GEOGRAPHY AND SCALE 92 RETAIL CENTERS 93 SUBURBANIZATION 94 GROWTH LANGUAGE 95 CONCLUSION 98 REFERENCES 103 APPENDICES 114 APPENDIX I: MAPS 115 APPENDIX II: GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION 119 VITA 121 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ALCOA Aluminum Company of America CBID Central Business Improvement District DKA Downtown Knoxville Association GLA Gross leasable area KCDC Knoxville Community Development Corporation MPC Metropolitan Planning Commission PBA The Public Building Authority TCLP Turkey Creek Land Partners Tennessee Department of Environment and TDEC Conservation TDO The Downtown Organization TVA Tennessee Valley Authority UTK University of Tennessee, Knoxville WWI Worsham Watkins International vi CHAPTER I: THE CONCEPT Statement of Purpose This study examines both the newly built "lifestyle center1" of Turkey Creek and the redevelopment of the Gay Street corridor in downtown Knoxville. Turkey Creek is a development center that is split between the western boundary of Knoxville, Tennessee and the town of Farragut and consists of almost 400 acres of built and potential space for development. The Turkey Creek Land Partners bought the land in 1995 and this $500 million dollar project will be the largest single development ever in metropolitan Knoxville. It is already home to Wal-Mart, Target, CarMax, restaurants, smaller boutiques, bookstores, an 18-screen movie theatre, and "the Cove"- an upscale residential community. Alternately, the Gay Street corridor is the main artery through downtown Knoxville. Once home to dilapidated buildings and abandoned businesses, redevelopment and revitalization have become the center themes of this area. Two performance theaters, large corporate businesses, local shops, restaurants, bars, and upscale lofts have all been either renovated or built to rejuvenate business, residence, and tourism to the center city. Growth machines are sociology's current predominant theory used to understand development projects; and although both Turkey Creek and the Gay Street Corridor can be examined by growth machine theory, I suggest that there are many differences in the ideology and tactics, organization and local dependency, and community reaction to the pro-growth coalitions who guide, promote, and direct these developments. Current literature in growth machine theory does not specifically separate suburban and urban growth machine networks. Identifying this distinction, as well as the implications posed along the issues I raise, are the center of this project. The differences between suburban and urban growth, as well as the complex relationship that intertwines the two phenomena, are necessary to build theory on growth machines theory of development. 1 "Lifestyle centers" are the newest trend in retail development. Definitions vary, but these centers tend to have an open-air structure that mimics the format of downtowns with a more upper-end ambiance and patronage. This is discussed more thoroughly in Chapter III. 1 Research Statement and Sub-Questions The central research statement of this project is that urban and suburban growth machines differ in local dependency and organization; ideology, culture, and tactics; and community reaction. First, local dependency and organization is examined as an important component of growth machine theory. Local dependence has been defined as the "dependence of various actors- capitalist firms, politicians, people- on the reproduction of certain